Ideology: A Plan

How valuable has ideological analysis been in developing your understanding of the themes of your chosen films?

Introduction –

• Ideology is a set of beliefs that fit together to form a person’s world view
• Often, large groups share the same ideology and this can be affected by the culture one has and the society that they live within
• As an audience, we usually expect to see our own ideologies reflected back to us on-screen, particularly in mainstream cinema; however, independent film seeks to challenge the audience and therefore may present a different ideology for us to engage with
• Ideology is influenced by our experiences and interactions, which is true of filmmakers, leading to their individual approach to storytelling and often films that are guided by their ideology
• La La Land is a studio-funded Hollywood film, but in a niche genre, and Chazelle’s freedom when making the film, as well as it being his long-time passion project, means it likely follows his ideology
• As an independent film, Beasts of the Southern Wild has more aim to challenge audience ideology, which Zeitlin does by presenting a community not usually seen in mainstream cinema

Beasts of the Southern Wild –

It is an independent film, which means it has an element of risk and artistic vision as a project and is not solely a profit-making mission. Zeitlin made Beasts of the Southern Wild because he “live[s] in New Orleans and was interested in telling a story about people who are staying in South Louisiana and why they’re holding on.” Inspired by the community around him, Zeitlin reflects their ideology on-screen, which is a challenge to the capitalist, family-dominated society in contemporary America.

Audience:

• Beasts of the Southern Wild was on the festival circuit and won lots of awards, so was able to obtain a release in 318 cinemas, making it available to a wider audience
• A festival audience is more likely to be open to different ideologies portrayed on-screen, but the film’s cinema release meant a more mainstream audience could experience it
• Zeitlin wanted to make the film accessible to all, even those who don’t believe in climate change, and he counters that the film has an intentional political message; however, by presenting the struggles Hushpuppy and her community face, he challenges the dominant ideology of capitalism – they survive as a collective, not individuals striving for success, forcing audience members to re-evaluate
• Zeitlin doesn’t lead the audience to an easy ending, either – it is tinged with sadness at Wink’s death, though remains optimistic and open-ended about Hushpuppy’s future

Filmmakers:

• Through his backdrop of the Bathtub community, Zeitlin applies Marxist film theory by praising their community and the nature around them – close-up shots of nature like in a documentary. This also fits with the ideology of Italian neo-realism (along with use of non-professional actors, real locations, and conversational speech), although the fantastical element of the aurochs contrasts this realism
• The film challenges the dominant ideology of contemporary capitalist society by showing it as a threat to the Bathtub community – they are forcibly removed from their homes and then separated at the hospital
• Hushpuppy is put into a dress and shoes – making her conform to the dominant ideology of what a girl is

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• Hushpuppy challenges what society expects of a child and a girl – she is independent and strong (could fit with a feminist interpretation) – shown by the wide-shot near the end, which contrasts the size of her with the massive aurochs, suggesting they are the powerful beasts, but then the auroch stops moving whilst Hushpuppy holds her position. After that = close-ups of Hushpuppy’s face as she addresses the aurochs, like a leader instructing others – screenplay reads “Hushpuppy raises her chin in confident defiance” and “the aurochs lowers her head with respect”
• However, Wink reinforces stereotypes of female weakness and presents strength as a masculine quality that he encourages Hushpuppy to display – arm wrestling competition, “Hushpuppy you the man” vs “that’s just a side effect of being a stupid little girl”

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• Some of Zeitlin’s decisions do not fit with Marxist film theory – the film is focused on Hushpuppy as an individual, rather than allowing the audience to choose their focus
• He manipulates audience attention through editing – majority of the shots include her, even scene of Wink’s death has a lot of close-ups on Hushpuppy because we are encouraged to feel empathy towards her rather than grieve at Wink’s death
• The use of Hushpuppy’s voice-over particularly contributes to the subjective nature

La La Land –

It is a mainstream Hollywood film, funded by a big studio, but was Chazelle’s passion project even before he made Whiplash, which made him more recognised, and is a niche genre film, giving more flexibility in the ideology it portrays on-screen.

Audience:

• The film challenges the audience’s expectations of main characters in a Hollywood film – they are not heroes who get a happy ending, they are realistic: we follow their struggles, relationship, success and sacrifice
• However, they fit with the dominant ideology of the American Dream, that anyone can achieve success if you keep striving and don’t give up
• Additionally their success is marked by what they achieve in their work lives, not personal lives – they both achieve their dream careers

Filmmakers:

• It shows a typical heterosexual relationship and the woman seems more passive in the relationship – Seb goes to Mia’s workplace and asks her out
• Throughout the film, she acts as an audience member, watching Seb perform (when they meet in the restaurant, at the party, at his and Keith’s concert)
• Seb seems to be the one with artistic integrity – trying to preserve ‘pure’ jazz, unable to force himself to play basic Christmas carols at the restaurant
• He teaches Mia about jazz – superior knowledge, fits with patriarchal ideology

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• However, a feminist interpretation suggests Mia is the focus of the film and it shows the development of her as an artist – the film initially positions us with her and we learn about her dreams and struggles
• Even though she watches Seb perform and he fails to turn up to the opening night of her one-woman show, the shots stay focused on her reaction, rather than the actual show performance itself, e.g. concert with Keith’s band has prolonged shots on Mia’s face as she dances in the audience
• Anna Leszkiewitz argues that “We rarely see [Seb] perform if not through [Mia’s] gaze, and we see her emotionally develop through her evolving reactions to his music.”
• Mia ultimately creates something new, whereas Seb stays stuck in the pastt

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• Mia and Seb are treated largely as equals in the film, which contrasts typical Hollywood films where the woman is just a love interest for the heroic male
• When Mia enters the restaurant hearing the piano playing, we expect the male gaze to be subverted as she looks at him; however, Chazelle cuts away before we see Seb and we follow his perspective until they meet with their gazes locking as equals
• Chazelle also subverts expectations of a typical ‘meet-cute’ because Seb barges past Mia instead of talking to her in the restaurant
• Arguably the two switch roles in the film – at the start, Seb drives away from Mia after the traffic eases (he is more driven in his goals), but at the end, Mia is the active one who walks out of the bar, whilst Seb sits there gazing longingly after her

Conclusion –

The two films are very different in the ideologies they portray on-screen: a Marxist interpretation can be applied to Beasts of the Southern Wild, whereas La La Land fits very nicely with the dominant ideology of the American Dream in the capitalist society. Both challenge stereotypical portrayals of women – Hushpuppy is independent and Mia can be seen as the true artist over Seb, because she innovates whilst he continues to recycle and live in the past. As an independent film, Beasts of the Southern Wild has more room to challenge ideologies, which it does through representation of a different community to what is usually shown in mainstream cinema. Though La La Land does offer some variation in the ideology it portrays, it still overwhelmingly fits with the dominant representation of a heterosexual, white couple portrayed on-screen, perhaps due to the nostalgia of the film that pays homage to the Golden Age of Hollywood where this was the expectation. Both films use implicit ideology that is presented through the worlds they create or reflect, rather than making explicit statements on the dominant ideologies they challenge.

Component 2b: Essay – The Significance of Digital Technology

“Portable, digital cameras, digital sound recording equipment and non-linear digital editing have had a very significant impact on documentary film.” How far has digital technology had an impact on your chosen documentary film? [20]

Plan:

Introduction –

Move from analogue to digital has affected every aspect, making things easier, cheaper and faster. This allows films that might not otherwise be made to be made, e.g Sisters in Law. It is a documentary by Kim Longinotto, which is about…

Main section –

• pre-production: funding (general) – digital technology is cheaper and more accessible
• pre-production: funding (Sisters in Law) – Kim Longinotto often struggles to get funding for her documentaries
• production: movement (general) – digital technology is lighter and has better manoeuvrability
• production: movement (Sisters in Law) – the camera is able to follow the subjects better, e.g Manka running up to her uncle. The camera can move around more to show the area and give the audience a better idea of location, e.g opening shots
• production: camera size (general) – digital cameras are more compact and lightweight, enabling their increased mobility and making them less imposing on the documentary subjects
• production: camera size (Sisters in Law) – the smaller cameras allow a more natural response from participants, e.g when the women are having a discussion together. The cameras are less obtrusive in sensitive situations, e.g the trials in the courtroom or the victims relaying their stories
• production: longer takes (general) – the camera can be left on for longer periods of time and does not require re-stocking, maximising amount of footage and reducing the risk of missing key moments
• production: longer takes (Sisters in Law) – the lengthier shots are less disruptive to the audience’s viewing and let entire events unfold without requiring re-stocking, e.g in the courtroom
• production: set-up (general) – cameras can be set-up more quickly or can be hand-held, allowing flexibility in shot choices
• production: set-up (Sisters in Law) – decisions were made at the time about which shots were suitable, giving the documentary more rawness and authenticity
• production: durability (general) – digital cameras are more robust
• production: reviews (general) – footage can be reviewed at the time and re-shot if necessary
• post-production (general) – editing is non-destructive, quicker (keeping the documentary relevant)

Conclusion –

Digital technology has allowed documentary filmmaking to evolve, enabling fly-on-the-wall documentaries and more truthful results. Films like Sisters in Law may not have been possible prior to digital technology, which allowed the documentary a manoeuvrability and unobtrusiveness that was essential for the location and topic.

Essay:

The move from analogue to digital in filmmaking technology has impacted every stage of filmmaking, from pre-production right the way through to post-production. Digital technology brings huge advantages to filmmaking in terms of ease, speed and cost and this is especially true in documentary filmmaking, where often the aim is to capture true events with minimal influence on the subjects. Another benefit of digital technology is the widening availability of equipment and, consequently, an increase in films produced. This means there is the opportunity for films to be made that may not have been previously feasible, and one such example is the documentary Sisters in Law by Kim Longinotto, which is about cases of abuse towards women in Kumba, Cameroon being taken to court by female legal professionals.

One reason Sisters in Law may not have been possible before digital technology is the pre-production issue of funding. Kim Longinotto often struggles to get enough funding for her documentaries and this likely would have been a much greater difficulty for her prior to digital technology, with the increased connections and lower prices that it brings. Since the rise of digital technology, filmmaking has become more accessible and the price of technology has decreased generally over time, in addition to digital storage being much cheaper than the analogue alternative, film stock.

During filming, digital technology has the ability to be more flexible in terms of set-up and cameras have become lighter, with increased manoeuvrability. This was maximised in Sisters in Law, with the camera able to move around to give the audience a better sense of location, such as in the opening shots. At the beginning of the documentary, the camera moves along, as if it were a car, showing the Cameroon countryside. This shot has a shakiness that makes it more authentic and puts the audience in the moment more effectively than a dolly shot could have done and the shot was likely only possible due to the compact, robust and hand-held nature of the camera.

The use of digital technology also allowed Longinotto and her crew to be more flexible and spontaneous with their shot choices. As the events were real-life, Longinotto and her crew had no way of knowing how they would play out, so decisions about framing and shot sizes had to be made at the time. With analogue equipment, this spontaneity would be more difficult, both with setting up the camera and due to the price of film stock, which meant that shots should have been carefully planned to reduce takes and keep costs down.

Some shots of the local environment may not have been planned and therefore not been filmed if analogue equipment was being used, such as the shot of two men constructing a bed frame. These shots are important in adding a sense of location and giving a feel of local everyday life. The camera moves back to focus of Manka, a 6-year-old who is featured as a victim of abuse in the documentary, before cutting to a wide shot of her running up to her uncle and cousin. The ease of setting up digital equipment then allows the camera position to move, so that there is a mid-shot of Manka and her uncle hugging, which is better suited for the intimate gesture and brings the audience closer to the two and more able to emotionally respond. The flexibility of digital equipment is crucial in allowing Longinotto to make the most suitable choices for each shot, such as the prior example.

Additionally, digital cameras can be left recording for long periods of time, without the need to replenish film stock causing disruptions. This requirement in analogue recording creates the potential for the filmmaker to miss key moments, which is especially detrimental in documentary filmmaking. Lengthier shots, such as when the trial charges are being read out, are necessary to avoid missing pieces of information and as the trial is occurring in real-time, with the filmmaker unable to repeat the process, any missed moments are lost and could affect the audience’s ability to understand the events. Longer length shots are also beneficial by being less disruptive to the viewing experience and making it easier for the audience to engage and be submersed in the film.

Sisters in Law is an observational documentary, making the use of more compact digital technology crucial in obtaining truthful results. Digital cameras can be smaller and more lightweight, so they are less imposing on the documentary subjects. The film deals with sensitive subjects, therefore unobtrusive cameras are more likely to gain natural responses from participants. Smaller cameras may make the participants feel more able to be open and honest when sharing their stories, such as when several women are sat round discussing the age at which they got married and the education they want for their children. In other delicate situations, like when Manka is taken to the legal office and the marks on her body are shown, a large camera would seem wrong and intrusive.

Other benefits of digital technology are the durability and robustness, as well as the ability to review footage at location. For Longinotto filming in Cameroon, checking shots immediately after recording them would have been incredibly important in avoiding disappointment when it came to post-production. Filming abroad requires travel expenses, therefore it is difficult to re-shoot any bad footage once home, making instant playback on digital technology very valuable.

Any mistakes in post-production are also much more easily rectified with digital technology than with analogue, when editing was a destructive and definite process. Post-production digital technology is important for speed of editing, allowing filmmakers to finish their film sooner and thus keep it more relevant, especially in regards to topical documentaries.

Overall, digital technology has allowed filmmaking to evolve, but has been particularly important in the development of different styles of documentary filmmaking, enabling fly-on-the-wall documentaries to be made, which provide more truthful results due to the unobtrusive nature of the digital camera. Films such as Sisters in Law may not have been possible prior to digital technology, which provides a flexibility, unobtrusiveness and manoeuvrability that was essential for such a sensitive subject and the particular location and also gives a rawness and authenticity that is suitable for the observational mode of the documentary and makes it more captivating for the audience.